Unlike Andy Murray, a staggering 80% men will never cry in public

No time for tears: Unlike Murray, a staggering 80% men will never cry in public

81% of 400 males polled would be too embarrassed to cry

Just one in five would shed tears in front of a stranger

76% said the birth of a child was an acceptable time to cry

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UPDATED:

09:18 GMT, 11 July 2012

He may have missed out on the biggest prize of his young career but it seems Andy Murray’s on-court tears were still viewed as unacceptable by the majority of men.

A survey, carried out by online casino Roxy Palace, found that 81% of the 400 males polled would be too embarrassed to cry in public.

Just under one in five (19%) of those quizzed said they were confident enough to wear their heart on their sleeve and shed a tear in front of strangers.

Despite Andy Murray's public outburst, 81% of men said they wouldn't cry in public

Murray, who has always divided opinion, was viewed as more likeable after the show of emotion by just over a third (34%) of those surveyed.

A cynical 20% stated that they liked him less because of the tears with 46% stating they were indifferent.

The birth of a child was highlighted as one of the only situations where it was acceptable for any male to cry publically, with 76% of those polled stating they believed that to be the case.

Opinion was split as to whether it was acceptable to cry at a team’s sporting defeat with just over half (54%) of those polled stating they had at some point shed a tear over a sporting failure.

However, just three per cent of those polled stated that they had ever shed a tear over their own sporting disappointments.

A spokesman from RoxyPalace.com said the findings offered some interesting insight into the male psyche.

He said: 'Over recent years it seems it has become more socially acceptable for a man to openly share his feelings, whether verbally or physically – however it seems crying in public is still a step to far for the vast majority of males.

'Only a small proportion of the men we quizzed said they’d happily cry in public if the situation warranted it with the vast majority still uncomfortable with such an open show of emotion.

Only one in five men said they would cry in front of a stranger, Murray cried in front of millions

'It’s understandable that Andy Murray was upset after missing out on the biggest prize of his career – especially with the weight of the nation’s expectations on his shoulders – but for many cold-hearted males his crying was viewed as unacceptable.

'It was interesting to note that some of those polled felt Murray was more likeable post tears, but the vast majority either felt indifferent or less favourably towards him as a result.'

He concluded: 'It seems that personal sporting disappointment is not viewed as a worthy reason to cry by the vast majority of British men yet more than half admitted to shedding a tear at the misfortunes of their favourite sporting team.'